Saved!

I saw this at a local indie cinema, hoping it would be one of those fairly funny American high school films - plenty of silly gags and good one-liners.

Sadly, I think "Saved!" is the worst film I've ever seen.

The plot had room for good jokes (especially with the potentially sensitive subject matter), but they were all missed or mis-fired.

Disabled kid is cool and rebellious; pretty girl is shallow and insecure; punk girl is tough but with a heart of gold; plain girl is strong and gets the guy; guy incongruously admires plain girl.

It's another one of those "Hey! Alternative is OK" films that can't decide whether to be funny or preachy (no pun intended). Yawn.

Despite losing its punch in the latter stages, "Saved!" remains an enjoyable and viciously funny satire. Poking fun of judgmental fundamentalists really isn't that tough a task or groundbreaking. They tend to spoof themselves. But what writers Brian Dannelly (who also directed) and Michael Urban do is not ridicule the fundamentalists' beliefs but their awful behavior. And that definitely deserves to be satirized.

The first 50 minutes are sensational, brimming with pointed dialogue, terrific humor and sharp observations about the preposterous idea of "degayification," the real reason people are sent to deprogramming centers and these teens obviously missing the true meaning of Christ's message.

But the film falters in the third act when it veers from clever satire to preaching about intolerance. It's a noble idea, but the punchy writing gets forsaken for the message. And the film concludes with a tired denouement. Surely, there are more original ways to conclude a high school film than one seen many times before.

Some of the characters, I suppose, could be seen as stereotypes. Then again, speaking from personal experience, the Hillary Fayes of this world exist and they're every bit as judgmental and nasty as she is. Unfortunately, Mandy Moore goes over-the-top a bit, often turning Hillary Faye into a broad caricature. That's a shame. Reining Moore in would have done wonders, because the other performances are uniformly good.

Macaulay Culkin turns in a fine performance as Roland. He finally might have shed his "Home Alone" image, proving he's capable of perfectly delivering sharp, well-written dialogue. The other revelation is young Eva Amurri, who has all the attitude, spunk (and I hope much of the talent) of her mother. She gives Cassandra a delightfully anarchic spirit; the film soars whenever she's on screen.

One peeve: Why does the radiant and sexy Mary-Louise Parker dress down so much in this film?

People who are judgmental about gays, teen pregnancy, other religions, and see life's myriad issues in purely black and white terms likely will be offended by this film - they might see themselves manifested as Hillary Faye. But if you appreciate life's gray areas and take delight in biting satire, you're bound to enjoy this film.

"Saved!" is by no means an attack on Christianity. Quite the contrary. It shows the importance of stressing in our lives the true side of Christianity - one that's about compassion, love and tolerance, and not the biased, judgmental approach that seeks to take control and bastardize religion, whatever it may be.

Although "Saved!" deals primarily with Christianity, it proves we'd all be better off adopting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals – that each and every one of us is a Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Jew.

A little background on myself for some perspective: I'm a middle-aged Roman Catholic single father of three, who attends church regularly (a few times per month) and generally leans a bit toward the right. I'm certainly not fanatical, but am somewhat spiritual. And just to clear up any misconception, Catholicism is, in fact, a Christian religion.

My teenaged son and I watched this movie together, and I don't know his impression specifically, but he did watch the entire movie, which is generally an indication he likes it. I enjoyed the movie as well, and did not find it to be in the least bit mean-spirited or anti-Christian. The main character never denounces God, but merely changes her perspective to one that's a bit less fanatical. The fact is, some people do go to extremes in their religious zeal (anyone familiar with 9/11), and simply depicting such a character in a movie hardly makes it anti-Christian. I think this movie represented a very accurate cross-section of religious attitudes in our society. If you are a religious zealot, or anti-religion zealot, you probably won't enjoy it because it doesn't lean in favor of either extreme. All others may find it worth the price of the rental.

And just to address some of the other reviewer comments - not wanting to regulate morality does not make one immoral, and if you think your sexual preference is a choice, think back to the time you CHOSE to be heterosexual.

Come now, you surely must remember a significant decision like that (and no, I'm not gay).

The non Christians who were involved in this production probably never stepped inside a church in their lives yet they feel free to dump on believers in Christ as a lunatic fringe and not the majority. It's non-believers who are in the minority in this country. A little perspective please.

Go into most churches today and you generally see white haired little old ladies and gentlemen and their simple families humbly reading the Bible, praying for others, collecting donations to help missions and the community, worshipping Jesus Christ and laughing, singing, fellowshipping. What is it about this humble group that so offends the elite non-believing hypocrites in Hollywood? That we don't vote the way you vote? That we don't all have the money you have?

This is just another blind attempt to lump all believers who care about biblical truth and morality into some fantasy group that has never existed. Most Christians would step in front of a truck and give their lives for any person in trouble, even a liberal. No man hath any greater love than this, that he give up his life for his friends. Most Christians would help an unwed pregnant girl in trouble, not condemn her. This film is ridiculous.

Maybe if the producers of this inept stereotypical film set foot in a church someday they might discover how wrong they were. Maybe they'd even find God themselves. What a concept!

As a non-Christian with left-leaning views, I was looking forward to watching Saved! due to favorable reviews from friends. Although I enjoyed the movie, I was disappointed by the heavy-handed, one-sided nature of the film. The acting was good, but the roles weren't so much characters as caricatures: The over-zealous, conniving hypocritical angel with a gorgeous face but a heart of coal. The non-Christian outcast reeking of immorality and sin but concealing a heart of gold. The brainwashed, disconnected, naive Christian mother. I'm sure these stereotypes do exist out there in the extreme-right, fundamental wing of American Christianity, but surely the majority are not the cardboard cutouts portrayed in Saved (I hope not!).

Ironically, the characters say it best when they point out that the world is not black and white. All in all, the film could have used a touch of subtlety. Furthermore, at times, due to the script and the background music, the film carried a made-for-TV, Nickolodeon tone. But I did laugh quite a bit and I understand the good intentions of the movie so I give it a 7 / 10 .

I am pleased to see a handful comments from Christians who were able to enjoy the movie and take it for what it is. There may be hope after all.